HOST: Michael Whitworth
SPONSOR: Logos Bible Software
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
This is a curious miracle in that the blind man was not totally healed by Jesus’ initial action. The obvious question is: Why? The answer to this query is not given in the text, but it has been suggested by many that Jesus healed this man in stages in order to demonstrate His full power over the healing, to heal partially or completely. Jesus was fully in control of what He did and of what the results were going to be. It has also been suggested that He may have healed this man in this way in order to build his faith—partially at first to strengthen the blind man’s faith in Jesus’ power, then fully to validate and further build his faith. Whatever Jesus’ purpose might have been, one thing is for sure: as always, Jesus showed compassion and demonstrated great power in helping this blind man to see clearly. He always knows exactly what we need and how best to provide for us—not only to meet our physical needs, but to strengthen and build us up spiritually. What an awesome Savior!
What encouragement do you receive from this passage?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
